When it comes to losing weight, there certainly isn't a shortage of diets to choose from. Just spend an hour searching social media, and you're bound to come across hundreds of posts endorsing the next miracle plan.

Although having a wealth of information at your fingertips can be helpful, it can also sabotage your weight loss goals. INSIDER talked with four experts to find out the most common weight loss myths that might be getting in the way of your progress.

1. Having willpower is the only way to stick to a diet.

Prepping meals ahead of time and eliminating healthy foods from your kitchen can decrease temptations.Benimoto/Flickr

How many times have you quit a diet because you "lack the willpower" to stick with it? If you're a serial dieter, the answer to that question is probably "a lot." But what if you success, or lack thereof, had nothing to do with willpower?

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"Willpower is highly overrated when it comes to fitness and healthy eating," Lisa Wheeler, VP of Fitness Programming at Daily Burn, told INSIDER. She explained that willpower is defined as "the ability to resist short-term temptations to achieve long-term goals." But many say willpower is a limited resource and can start to fade if called upon too much during the day.

That's why Wheeler recommended having a clear plan, reducing temptation and choice throughout the day, and being kind to yourself when you miss the mark, which are all great tools to winning the willpower war.

"Schedule your workout sessions for the week like a doctors appointment and lay out your workout clothes the night before to make exercise easy and fun," she told INSIDER.

Plus, Wheeler suggests prepping your meals ahead of time and cleaning out your cabinets of tempting food to eliminate any decisions around what to eat. "And if you trip and fall, just get back up and remember tomorrow is another day — do not use your perceived lack of willpower to completely throw in the towel."

2. Supplements are a "magic" pill.

Weight loss supplements do little if anything to help you lose weight.keri/Flickr

"I get questions daily on supplements with people wanting to gain or lose weight," said Nikki Walter, bodybuilding.com team athlete. She said the people who want to lose weight, typically ask about fat burners. They also assume they do not need to eat if they have a shake.

Although protein shakes are a great way to meet your protein requirements, Walter said they are not meant to replace meals. "Shakes for weight loss may work temporarily, but also contain artificial sweeteners, and or sugars that could delay the weight loss process," she explained.

3. If you eat fat, you will gain fat.

Healthy fats found in foods like avocados help us stay full.T Tseng/Flickr

Will you gain weight if you eat fat? Yes and no. It all depends on the type of fats you're eating. Paired with a healthy diet, the right fats may help you shed a few pounds, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

"Eating the right kind of fats will nourish the body and be used by every cell to maintain health and well-being and having the right amount of fat in our diet will help us to maintain a healthy weight," wellness expert, Bianca Cheah, told INSIDER.

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Drop the trans fat, go light on the saturated fats, and add in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Good sources include avocado, nuts, flax seeds, salmon, and olive oil.

4. It's all about calories in and calories out.

We tend to consume more calories when we don't get enough sleep.
Screengrab via Broad City/Comedy Central

"There are many more factors that come into play when you are trying to lose weight and focusing ONLY on calories can derail your progress," explained Wheeler.

One area we often forget about when it comes to weight loss is sleep, which is crucial for weight management, explained Dr. Frank Lipman, founder of Be Well, told INSIDER. "Not sleeping enough stimulates the hormone ghrelin, which increases your appetite, and lowers leptin, which tells you when you're full," he explained.

And Wheeler agreed: "You can see how this double whammy can cause you to eat more when you don't need the calories." She also pointed out that when you are tired, you move less. This can have a big impact on your motivation to exercise.

5. HIIT is the only way to lose weight.

If you've followed any fitness or weight loss trends, you've likely heard of HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training). While HIIT is an efficient way to burn fat and lose weight, it's not the only way. Instead, Wheeler suggests we aim for balance.

If you're only focusing on HIIT, Wheeler said you might experience both physical and mental burnout which could lead to dropping your fitness routine altogether. "Varying your intensity and balancing out cardio and strength is the path to a sustainable fitness journey," she said.

6. Carbs cause weight gain.

Get your carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
CatchaSnap/Shutterstock

Newsflash: Carbohydrates are an essential part of your daily diet because they contain the glucose that fuels your body and brain. If you cut your carbs to an extremely low level, you'll miss out on the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants that are present in carb-heavy foods like fruit and some vegetables. So, it comes down to the types of carbs you're using to fuel your body.

"When we don't have enough carbohydrates as fuel, our body starts to break down muscle glycogen stores, and we can fatigue very quickly," explained Cheah. "Ensure you are supporting muscle health and workout longevity by including good quality carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables and whole grain cereals and low GI carbs."

7. Healthy eating means going hungry.

Gone are the days where measuring your weight loss progress was based on your ability to ignore those horrible hunger pains. If you're hungry, you need to eat. Lipman recommended eating full meals and snacks as needed to keep you fueled and hydrated.

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